Home Depot installing 40,000 high-tech cameras

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 09/16/03 | TONY WILBERT

[Kennesaw]

Home Depot installing 40,000 high-tech cameras

Smile, you're on Home Depot camera, high-tech style.

The Atlanta-based retailer said Tuesday it has begun installing real-time, digital surveillance camera systems in all of its 1,600 stores in North America. The system will use 40,000 video cameras to allow Home Depot to better monitor its stores and cut down on shoplifting, the company said.

While Home Depot acknowledged that several other retailers currently use digital video surveillance, the company said it is one of the first to use a standardized digital system throughout all store operations.

"For the first time, Home Depot will have significantly increased real-time video coverage of its stores," said Troy Rice, senior vice president of operations. "The new system will help continue our trend of lowering losses due to theft, provide a powerful new deterrent and enable faster, more conclusive investigations by law enforcement."

Home Depot said the new digital technology will outperform the analog technology it currently uses because images from dozens of cameras can be stored nearly indefinitely. Also, Home Depot stores where crimes may have occurred can e-mail images to police departments investigating the reports.

The new system also will help Home Depot fight identity fraud, the company said.

Home Depot expects to complete installation of the new monitoring system by the end of January.

[pray4liberty]

I don't think I want to shop at HD anymore.

[Kay Soze]

Ditto for Walmart.

Save 15% but loose 45 minutes waitng in line cause the guy in front of me has a pair of socks with no price on it!

[Auntie Mame]

Good point.

I, personally, am boycotting that store. The service sucks and last time I was in one I had to wait almost an hour to check out. I even asked two separate workers to find some more checkers and they told me they were in the middle of inventory and there were no more checkers. Too bad for me.

There's something about a lengthy wait in line to give my money to someone that just doesn't seem right.

Besides, I don't know if you've noticed it, but their prices have skyrocketed.

[SevenDaysInMay]

So that is where the inventory and training dollars went. I hear new mgmt. is ex-GE guys who don't know how to run a contractor/DIY shop.

The four stores in near North/East Dallas are insulting fiascos. Inventory is so thin that it costs more money to shop there and the next place than to go on and skip H.D.

Too bad that H.D. didn't get the cameras et al. plugged in in time to tape me leaving in disgust for their security training.

[lelio]

I even asked two separate workers to find some more checkers

Same here. Well it was at a Lowe's and I walked over to the manager in charge that was throwing a flippin nerf football to his friends to get some cashiers up there pronto. He huffed and called a "Code Red" which probably means "See if you can kick lelio out of the store."

Well no one came in 5 minutes so I ask dufus again, and this time he opens up a register himself.

What really amazes me is that HD hasn't gone to a single line approach, where everyone gets in one huge line and then they go to the next available cashier. I always manage to get behind the person that doesn't label their 12 different varieties of screws and this would solve that.

Oh and then there was the time they ran out of carts, the day I'm trying to pick up some laminate flooring to the tune of $800. You would think they'll have some in the aisle for people to use, but no. Fed up with this low rent treatment I walked across the street to a store that just sold wood flooring.

Perhaps that's why HD's are stand alone stores and aren't often in strip malls like that one: a business could setup right there and get all the frustrated HD customers as instant buyers. Heck you could just offer to go over to HD for a 10% fee and you'll be making money.

[meyer]

Check out the link in Jim's tagline!

Thanks! I've been watching that site for a bit, courtesy of Jim, but I appreciate the ping.

[freemax]

You mean to tell me they actually have employees at Home Depot? Where are they? Where, where, where??

[freemax]

You're lucky; you only waited a half hour. I spent more than that at the one or two cashiers open out of over a dozen cash registers I see, and these cashiers don't even have a clue!

[freemax]

Yep, clueless customers and clueless cashiers. No wonder Home Depot is losing customers to Lowes.

[freemax]

There used to be a Mom & Pop shop down the street from me, been there for 50 years until Home Depot came along. The owners wanted to retire, and figured it was easier just closing shop, sell off their inventory, sell the building than to sell the hardware shop to a buyer who probably would go out of business to Home Depot which went up right down the street from them. Thank you Home Depot. I really liked the friendly service I recieved at this store.

[Protagoras]

Spend more money hiring employees, less on cameras, and I think everyone will be happier.

Certainly the filty thieves. I will be happier with the lower prices.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Did you say SHRINKAGE!!?

[Protagoras]

Competition is the lifeblood of business.

[Feldkurat_Katz]

I won't be using these self-checkout registers at HD or eldewhere unless they give a dicount, just like gas stations do for self-service.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

I won't be using these self-checkout registers at HD or eldewhere unless they give a dicount, just like gas stations do for self-service.

Are you still holding out on ATM's?

[Peace will be here soon]

Yes. I am going to see the same thing here. We have a nice locally owned hardware store that has been in business for as long as I can remember. I go there all the time, I avoid the Depot and Lowes whenever possible. They built a Lowes about a year ago about a half mile down the road from this locally owned place, and now, a Home Depot is going in across the street from Lowes !! My favorite hardware store has already given signals to the local newspaper that they will probably close down. I hope they have enough regulars like me to stay around but it doesn`t sound good. Thank you, to the Mayor and city counsel for approving this Home Depot to come in and drive out another locally owned business. I hope you all got paid well.

[e_engineer]

IIRC there was a thread on FR last year about Lowes funding anti-gun groups. I won't spend a dime there ever again.